//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - 'Ponyville Properties for Rent' // Story: Same Song, Second Verse // by Revenant Wings //------------------------------// One week later dawned with the sound of a bass pounding in Octavia’s ears. A short while later, as Octavia rolled over to check her alarm clock and saw the multi-colored digital numbers reading eight forty-five. She pressed a button on the alarm clock only to find the pounding in her ears wouldn’t stop. Then the pounding went up into her brain and she realized she wasn’t really hearing a bass but feeling a headache. A wine glass lay toppled over on her nightstand, a little pool of red at the bottom of it. Octavia rubbed her head, trying to push away the headache. When that didn’t work, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. The bright colors and the pulsing of the light blinded her when she turned it on, and it took her longer than usual to get over the feeling. She took a small toothglass of water and a pair of aspirin from the cabinet and downed them both in one swallow before jumping into the shower. When she finished the shower, Octavia stepped out and dried herself off with a towel, not wanting to step under the giant speaker in the ceiling. It was supposed to dry her off using sound waves, but it racked her body too much and she thought she would break a bone in there from the pounding. Her headache had gone away now and she felt better. Outside, her roommate’s room door was closed and the strobe lights had stopped shining underneath it. She pressed an ear to the door and heard a snoring coming from behind it. Octavia thought for a moment about the time and day. It was a Saturday, the start of a weekend; Vinyl would have been out almost all night last night at a gig and would have one later tonight after sleeping the first one off. Octavia went to the door and opened it, picking up the Saturday newspaper and bringing it inside. She took the wrapping off the outside and opened it up while a pot of coffee brewed. She opened the paper and began to read, sitting at the bar in the kitchen. By the time the coffee had brewed, Octavia had gone through all the major headlines and had found an insert in the paper. She pulled it out and set it aside as she poured herself a cup of coffee and a splash of cream and toasted an English muffin before returning to the insert. The insert was labeled ‘Welcome Abode Real Estate: Ponyville Properties for Rent’. The front was a picture of a small cottage of pink and yellow with a thatched roof. Octavia found herself pleased by the more muted colors, enough to make it bright and welcoming but not blinding like Vinyl’s taste in color was. She opened it up and read the intro segment, done in a pretty yet readable font and black text on a sky blue background. Hello! My name’s Welcome Abode, and I want to help you find the perfect house to rent or buy. I have fifteen years in the business and I know the ins and outs of the market and can help you find your dream house or apartment. Over the last few years, Ponyville has become a burgeoning young town in southern Equestria. Only a forty-minute train ride from Canterlot, it’s friendly and relaxed atmosphere makes it the perfect retreat from city life, and it’s wholesome and close-knit community make it the perfect place to settle down. Taste the sweet life with dessert at Sugarcube Corner, indulge your cultured side at the Golden Oaks Library, let your fashion dreams run wild at Carousel Boutique, or take a quiet nature walk through the Whitetail Woods. For music lovers, make sure to check out the Ponyville Players for a more refined experience, the Gilded Mic for a more modern touch, and check out Recorderz for all the latest albums from your favorite artists and up-and-coming new talent. So come on down to Ponyville, make some new friends, and find yourself enraptured by the new life that’s waiting for you here! Just below the blurb was a number. Octavia looked through. There were four pages of houses, three available on each page and all shown in full color with square feet, available amenities, and prices. The final two pages were for apartments, giving out complexes, room types, and numbers. Two of the houses actually fit Octavia’s budget. The first was a small house located towards the center of town, close to the main streets and attractions but was only barely larger than her studio apartment for 600 bits a month. The other one, located on a small hill at the edge of town, had a full-sized bedroom, a combined living room and dining room, a small but fully-stocked kitchen, and a separate office and sun room for 850 bits a month. Octavia thought about it. Six hundred bits a month would leave her plenty to work with and be able to furnish the place as she wanted. It would also leave space available for her to be able to take the train to Canterlot on occasion. The other house looked better and was in a more prime location, but she wondered if she would have enough left over to build something from it. Octavia had given the issue deep thought over the last week. She and Vinyl barely spoke to one another now, only figuring out what times the other was leaving and coming home. They paid their part of the rent and utilities and mostly let the other be. So when she saw the insert in the paper, Octavia was very much tempted to jump on the offer. It felt a little hard on Vinyl, but she couldn’t stand the behavior anymore. She wished she could end it on better terms. But if living with Vinyl meant getting into an argument any time the conversation extended past formalities, moving out was a very serious option. “Good mornin’ sunshine!” Vinyl’s room opened up with a bang! and she came out singing at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were closed and she had a pair of headphones on. “Good mornin’ sunshine, the day is awake! It’s time to brush the sleep away; this day is yours to take! I’m singin’ and I’m dancin’ to embrace this morn! It’s time for carpe diem, babe; today a new you is born!” The fridge was opened as Vinyl danced into the kitchen and pulled out a protein shake from her own shelf. Octavia looked at the clock. It was hardly ten o’clock. A new record; Vinyl never woke up before noon. Vinyl continued singing and dancing around the kitchen as she made her way to where Octavia was sitting with her English muffin. One half had been eaten with butter and jam, but the other half was still waiting for butter. Vinyl picked up the remaining half as Octavia’s head slumped forwards with her head on the bar. “Good evenin’ moonshine, this night is alright! It’s time to go and party and we ain’t goin’ without a fight! Don’t take me off the dance floor, I’m feelin’ star-struck! Tonight I’m gonna dance, and I don’t give a– hey!” Vinyl stopped singing for a moment and took off her headphones, taking a bite of the English muffin. “Watcha lookin’ at, Tavi?” she asked through a mouthful of bread. How exactly do I put this lightly…? “I’m looking at houses in Ponyville.” Octavia muffled through the bar and the paper. “Cool. Oh, hey!” Vinyl’s hoof rocketed outwards and slammed on the counter, causing Octavia to jump. Her hoof was pointed at one of the houses. “This one looks nice!” Octavia looked at it. Fourteen hundred bits per month, three bedroom, two bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, office, sunroom, laundry room. Enough for two separate ponies and a guest bedroom. Almost immediately, she knew what Vinyl was thinking. Octavia got up from the counter and turned towards Vinyl. “Um… I was thinking… I need to get away from here. You know, de-stress.” “Sure! You thinkin’ about calling the number? Cause I would totally love a look at one or two of these!” “Vinyl… I want to get away. And… I think we need some time apart.” Vinyl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Well, I was thinking, we keep arguing a lot. I thought it might be a good idea for us to spend some time apart… living in a different place.” Vinyl frowned. “Tavi, I understand you want to have some time to get away. I don’t understand why that means you need to buy a house and move.” “Vinyl, I don’t know if I can even be in the same city as you. And a week away at a spa or something like that, as appetizing as it is, might not be enough.” “Look, just tell me what’s wrong. I promise I can change.” “You want me to tell you what’s wrong? What’s wrong is that there’s a constant pounding in my head from your bass. There’s constant bickering because neither of us can decide what to do. There’s constant conflict because we were supposed to be a couple but now neither of us can agree on how to do things. You don’t like what I do, and I can’t stand what you do.” “That doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” “Really? How can you say you don’t love me when you won’t even accept the little things I do? I give you tickets to see me in concert. I invite you out to dinner so that we could have time to have a little romantic evening, but you don’t. You go off to clubs I can’t stand and play music that shrieks and bangs my body around. Tell me you love me when you don’t make the time for me.” "What about all the stuff I do, huh? You don't even show up to my own performances when I'm releasing new tracks. You don't allow me to spend time with my friends; you want to hog me to your friends and not them even though you were once fine with them. I at least try to include you in everything I do, and really want to patch things up again." “Let’s face it. Our interests don’t match up. You don’t like what I do and I can’t stand what you do.” “That doesn’t mean we don’t have any common ground.” “Vinyl… our first three months we talked about music theory. We can’t do any more. We like music, sure, but our tastes are different. So are movies, books, food, activities, culture, games, even our sense of space.” Vinyl’s voice became bitter again. “You know what? I do kind of hate that about you. Not just dislike, hate. You always look at the negative. Whenever we go somewhere, you always talk about how you don’t like that or you don’t like that. I might not like it either, but at least I keep my mouth shut.” “Well, I prefer if you told me about it.” “I’m trying not to hurt you.” “It hurts me more when you don’t tell me these things. I thought having a relationship was about telling each other everything. I pour myself out to you and you don’t say a damn thing.” Vinyl snorted. “Alright. I hate your stuffy attitude. I hate your constant drinking whenever I come home late. I hate the friends you have because they always look at me like I’m a weirdo. I hate your taste in books, I hate your taste in old movies, I hate the artists you like, and I hate your preoccupation with your cello!” Octavia blinked for a little bit. “You... you really think that about me?” Vinyl’s nodded. "Tavi, you need to open up a little. You spend all your time in your own little world you don't take stock that something else is out there. Remember our first few months? They were fun, weren't they? Why didn't you tell me when it became a problem instead of just locking yourself away from me?" Octavia sniffed a little. Had she really done that? Perhaps she had. But how would that have changed anything? "Well, I... I didn't know how you'd respond to that." Vinyl looked sadly at Octavia. "Well, it may not have ended in shouting like we seem to do lately." "Our differences would have remained. We would have yelled at each other eventually." Vinyl frowned. "You know what? I'm going to go into my room and listen to music, and we'll try again when you're not being so dour." And she walked away. Octavia rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit of wetness roll down her nose. She took a deep breath to calm herself and picked up the receiver of an electric blue phone and dialed the number found in the insert. The phone rang three times before a friendly female voice picked up the other end and answered in a light, amiable tone. “Hello! Thank you for calling! My name is Welcome Abode, owner of Welcome Abode Real Estate! How can I help you?” Octavia was surprised the other end of the line actually picked up, but recovered quickly and began speaking. “Hello, my name is Octavia and I was interested in a few of the houses you had available for rent.” “Oh, how exciting! We have some beautiful properties for rent and for sale down here in Ponyville. First of all, how did you hear about us?” “I live in Canterlot and you had an insert with some properties available in our newspaper.” “Excellent. Looking for a retreat away from the city? We have a couple of properties available for either a more country or a more modern look. What sort are you interested in?” “I actually have a couple of ideas in mind from the insert. You had two properties – one at 600 bits a month and one at 850 bits a month – that I was interested in.” “Oh, our Townhouse and Hillside Retreat properties are both excellent! Our Townhouse property has recently been remodeled and now boasts a perfect combination of country living and modern conveniences, and the Hillside Retreat has been designed to help inspire an artist’s muse and comes with a full kitchen and laundry room set with no extra cost.” “Sounds nice. Um… do you think I could come down there today?” “Let’s see… what time do you think you’ll be in town?” Octavia looked back at the clock. It was now ten-seventeen. “How does noon sound to you?” “Excellent! I know you’re coming from Canterlot, so I’ll meet you at the train station and we’ll head out to lunch while we discuss your housing options and financing. Sound like a good idea to you?” “Sounds perfect.” “Alright. I’ll just need your name and cutie mark.” “My name is Octavia, and I have a purple treble clef cutie mark.” “Alrighty… okay, Octavia, I have you down at noon. I’ll meet you at the train station. I’ll have a blonde mane and a red jacket on. See you soon!” “See you soon.” Octavia set down the receiver and walked over to Vinyl’s room. Sure enough, the unicorn was sitting in her room on her bed, looking through a photo album. Octavia dared not enter farther, lest it be something Vinyl would use to manipulate her. The thought struck Octavia as odd – Vinyl hadn’t done so before – but for some reason she found it not too far a stretch if Vinyl really hated her as much as she said she did. “I’m leaving for Ponyville,” Octavia said emotionlessly. “I'll be back sometime this evening, but I don't know when.” Vinyl nodded. “I have a gig tonight. I’ll be back around midnight.” Octavia nodded back and left without a word. Twenty minutes later, Octavia had her saddlebags ready and was at the station and had purchased a ticket for the next train to Ponyville. She bought a small egg sandwich from a nearby stall and ate it on the platform as she waited for the train, enjoying the crisp air of morning in early spring. A few families and couples were on the platform with her, some carrying picnic baskets and blankets. The train sidled up to the platform at ten minutes to eleven. Octavia took her ticket up to the car and let the conductor punch her ticket before stepping on the train. She was in a high-class coach car with private compartments and plush seats and reclining chairs. She found a compartment that was unoccupied and settled down. She pulled a book out of her saddlebags and began to read. At eleven ten, there was a gentle rocking and the train started off. The engine whistled two short times and gave a long third as it gently crept out of the station and slowly traveled through the streets of Canterlot. Octavia looked out the window once or twice and reflected how long it had been since she last left the city, and wondered with some trepidation about where she was going. It had been so long since she had been on her own like this and felt herself shivering at the thought of heading off to a new town entirely. Alas, she was already on the train and they had already left the platform, and so Octavia resigned herself to the trip, telling herself it wouldn’t hurt to look. Just when Octavia felt ready to scream for the train to stop, they left Canterlot and the train picked up speed as it started heading down the mountain. The stone walls of Canterlot gave way to towering mountains looking over green fields and forests covered in pine and oak. The change of scenery was so immediate it took the mare’s breath away and the scream dropped out of her throat as it changed to gasps of awe. So many things I’ve been missing cooped up with Vinyl, Octavia thought. All this time I’ve been focused on her and missing so much… The book was forgotten as the train suddenly sped through a tunnel. Octavia had been on trains and through tunnels before, but for some reason this one was different, unfamiliar. They rushed into the blackness and soon Octavia was doused in darkness; there were no lights in the car to see. Just when Octavia thought they were trapped in the tunnel, they burst out and she was blinded by a bright light. When the light finally faded, Octavia could see they were travelling over a bright and sunny field. Trees swayed and danced in the light breeze, and fields of flowers provided splashes of color in the style of a patchwork quilt. Despite the fact that they were arranged in an assortment of random patterns, they seemed more natural and didn’t hurt her eyes to look at. The skies were much clearer than those over Canterlot, and Octavia felt like she wanted to stick her head outside the window and open her front hooves wide. She managed to restrain herself, but she couldn’t stop staring even as she gathered the contents back into her saddlebag. The scenery was so beautiful, even more so when there wasn’t someone pounding bass over it or talking constantly through it. A few minutes later, a town appeared on the horizon. A bunch of small country and town houses surrounded two large buildings and a giant oak tree. The closer building was made of three tiers of alternating wood bases and beige stucco walls; while the farther building was more of a cone that reminded Octavia of a carousel she had seen and was painted in purple and white. “Attention passengers,” came the sound of a mare’s voice over the P.A. system through the train. “We will be reaching Ponyville shortly. Please gather your things and wait for the porter to come and open your door.” Octavia finally broke from the spell of the scenery passing the window and gathered up her saddlebags. She carefully moved towards the front of the car and held on to a nearby pole with her hoof as the train began to slow down. Through the window in the door she could see them go through a small copse of trees before emerging into the town. It was even more quaint and charming up close. The houses were built with thatched roofs and with a wood and stone mixture with stucco on some of the outsides; some of the older ones even looked like wattle-and-daub style. The town had no real roads but a bunch of dirt paths and a large town center with a large fountain with statues of two earth ponies in front of the brown and white wood and stucco building. The train came to a stop, and within a few moments the porter was at Octavia’s door and opening it. The mare stepped out of the car and was hit with a blast of cool air, not crisp or chill as the wind in Canterlot was, but pleasant and breezy with the smell of rain in the air. Then the sun came down through the clear sky and warmed her through the coat to the bone and she could feel the beginnings of a smile on her face. At the end of the platform by the ticket booth stood a brown mare with a blonde mane that was wavy in the back with bangs that curled in towards the front. She looked around with light blue eyes for a while, and Octavia could see a house with what looked like a sun or a halo behind it on her flank. She wore a red jacket with golden buttons on her chest and a bronze-colored pin. Shortly afterwards she spotted Octavia and walked over to her. “You must be Octavia, right?” the mare asked, her voice warm and slightly peppy. Octavia nodded. “Yes. You must be Welcome Abode.” She brought up a hoof. Welcome Abode held out her own hoof. “At your service! Well, it’s twelve-ten. Why don’t I show you out to lunch? There’s a great little café not too far from here.” “Lunch sounds like a good idea, Miss, uh...” Octavia followed Welcome Abode down the steps of the platform and down the dirt road that led through the town. “Oh, you can just call me Abode,” the brown mare said. “Most ponies have very informal relations with another around here and barely call each other by their full names.” “Well, I only have one,” Octavia said. “Shouldn’t be too hard to remember.” “Not at all. Octavia is a beautiful name. Now, come come, we can discuss your available financing options over lunch.” Welcome Abode led Octavia to a colonial-style building and opened the double glass doors for her. Inside was a warm atmosphere of reds and browns lit by a combination of larger electrical lamps and older oil lamps. A counter held an assortment of pies and guarded a kitchen, while many wooden tables and chairs were scattered around the floor. A host came up and motioned them towards a table. The café was light and cheery with the sounds of laughter and multiple conversations. They were sat down at a table and given menus and glasses of water with the promise a waiter would be there shortly. “This is one of the mid-level places,” Welcome Abode was saying. “There are three cafés and they’re all in the mid-level price range. At the high end we have two fancy restaurants, but I’ll show you those later on the tour.” “It’s actually rather nice,” Octavia said. “I go to a few cafés like this back in Canterlot.” “Ponyville is a nice combination of many of the major cities. We have some of the café culture of Canterlot, the western fruit markets and market nights of Los Pegasus and Vanhoover, the scenic vistas of Manehattan, and the community of Baltimare.” “It certainly sounds nice. However, do be frank with me. Is there anything really… less positive about this town?” Welcome Abode sipped her water. “I’m not going to lie to you. We are a little behind on the modern conveniences. And I gather from your name you’re probably a musician, and opportunities for you are a little scarce here in addition to having a rather small musical community.” Octavia nodded. “There is the train ride to Canterlot.” “Yes. That can eat a rather large hole in your budget. Sometimes you can get passes that might be better deals than buying individual tickets, and some businesses give discounts for mass transit travel options. I’d suggest consulting with them about available pricing options.” A waitress came around. Octavia and Welcome Abode both ordered an ice tea, though Octavia ordered hers unsweetened and Abode sweetened. Octavia ordered a salad with a small fish filet for protein and Welcome Abode ordered a Prench dip with hay fries. “Now,” Welcome Abode continued, “I must also say that while we have decent attractions here, most of the excitement around here does come from community. Ponyville is a very social town and often organizes many events. There’s a book club, a farmer’s association, a gardening group, a baked goods group, and so on and so forth.” “Very quaint,” Octavia mused. “I remember large organizations in Canterlot and big events. It’s probably a nice town, though. It seems a lot quieter than Canterlot.” “Yes,” Abode agreed. “Ponyville is rather quiet on weekends. Not much happens. It’s a time for rest and socializing. Most of the major associations and groups meet mid-week.” “Yes...” Octavia mused. “Well, a book club might not be too bad, and a music club would be nice if they have one.” “They do,” Abode replied. “They often have a guest or two come from Canterlot to practice with them. They’re small, but if I remember correctly and you were a headliner at the last concert in Canterlot, I’d say you’d have no trouble getting in and making yourself known.” “I don’t need to be known, but it would be a nice diversion.” “Well, let’s do financing. Easy for you, tough for me. I'll walk you through the pricing and amenities and we'll see if we can't work something out for you. But for now,” she said as their plates were served, “let us eat and then I’ll take you on the tour.” * * * The food was delicious. Octavia’s fish had a rather smoky flavor and was fresh and seasoned well with salt, pepper, and oil and her salad was filled with greens and reds and yellows and purples and topped with a fine vinaigrette dressing. Welcome Abode’s Prench dip looked very nice, with sliced roast eggplant and mushroom and covered in provolone cheese. Octavia made a mental note to remember this place. Once they were done, Welcome Abode took Octavia on a short tour of Ponyville. She pointed out the white and purple building as Carousel Boutique, the giant oak tree as the Golden Oaks Library, and the wood and stucco building as the town hall. In front of the town hall was a large fountain plaza where the local farmers had market night every Thursday evening. At the edge of the plaza, Welcome Abode took Octavia through a small lane of houses to what appeared to be the edge of town. They walked up a small hill and approached a white house with white stucco walls accented at the edges by polished dark oak wood and a pointed roof made of the same. A large window looked into a large open room and a small portico led to a burgundy-colored door with a bronze handle with a four-pane window. Almost immediately Octavia was taken by it. "And here is our Hillside Retreat property," Welcome Abode said, motioning to the house. "Some ameneties included and 800 bits per month, just under your 900 range." “It’s actually quite beautiful,” Octavia said. “I’m surprised something like that is available in a small town like this.” Welcome Abode laughed as she searched the pocket of her red jacket. “Yes, many are. Give me one second here and I’ll open the door for you.” Abode fished out a small bronze key and stuck it in the lock. There was a small click and the door swung inwards. Octavia stepped in and found herself in a small lobby covered in white tile. The inside walls were a clean white and the place looked sunny and bright. She stepped in further and found herself inside a large room. To her front was a kitchen area with white tile floors and granite counters with fine steel appliances. To her left was a wide archway leading to a large room – a combined dining room and living room – with a beige fireplace done in more of the white stucco accented with dark oak and a vaulted ceiling. A large window looked out all over Ponyville out front, and a look over a beautiful apple orchard in full bloom at the back window, with a sliding glass and screen door leading to an enclosed porch in the front of the house. Down to the right was a wide hallway. The first door to the right led to a bathroom in sand-brown tile with a full shower, closet, and two entries; one from the hallway and the other from a bedroom. The bedroom had another large window that looked out over Ponyville and a wide closet taking up almost completely one wall. On the other side of the hall closest to the kitchen lay a small room that Octavia guessed was the office. In truth, it was large enough she could almost see it as a guest bedroom with a twin bed. Next door was the sunroom, a large porch-like area that looked barely separated from the outside by large but thick window panes that allowed for another view of the orchard and another cottage just outside the Whitetail Woods in the distance. “I love this place,” Octavia said in awe as Welcome Abode finished explaining the details as they stood in the sunroom. “Yes, it is definitely a rare find,” Abode said. “And while you have a lot of windows looking out, Ponyville is a very safe community. But, for extra protection, they are magically reinforced.” Octavia looked in awe at the house. “You know what?” Octavia said, turning to Welcome Abode, “I don’t even want to look at the other house. This is the one. I’m sure of it.” “Are you sure? This is the one that was at the high end of your range.” “You said you could find some sort of financing option to potentially lower the price, right? Then try your best.” Welcome Abode’s mouth erupted into a large smile. “Of course! Now, I’ll just need your number and any extensions you might have; I’ll call you when I’ve got an offer.” Octavia told the mare her number and warned her she was sharing an apartment with Vinyl. “She doesn’t take too kindly to me as of late,” she said. “She might not tell me about it or give you hell.” “Don’t worry. By nature and by work, I’ve learned to be persistent. The quicker we can communicate, the quicker we can get you into the new house.” Welcome Abode walked Octavia back to Ponyville Station. Octavia bought a ticket and Abode walked with her onto the platform. They talked for a little while longer about the town before the train pulled up and the doors opened. “Well, thank you so much for showing me around,” Octavia said. “I really enjoy that house.” “I’m glad you do,” Abode said. “And I’m sure it’ll be in well-cared hooves. If you have any more questions, you have my number.” Octavia stepped on the train and waved farewell. The whole of the train ride home felt shorter than it was. For the whole of fifty minutes, Octavia was lost in thought, already thinking of how she would decorate the house in Ponyville. Her bed and dresser could go into the bedroom up against the window so she would wake with the morning sunlight. Her cello and a new desk and shelves for her music notes could go into the sunroom, and she could put a desk and a daybed in the office to make it an office and guest bedroom. Not that she’d have much company, she figured, but just in case someone like her mother came over. She’d have to get a whole new dining room and living room set, as well as the daybed and desks she wanted. She herself only had enough for the bedroom and the sunroom. Even so, she had enough in savings and could continue working to fill the rest of the house. She could make it her own, without any of the garish touches Vinyl had placed in their apartment. And the windows and the light and the vaulted ceilings made it all the better to help accent. And best of all, she was free to do what she wanted with the place. It allowed for give-and-take, for variation in her design. She could design it where the living room had her cello and equipment and the sunroom became a dining room and she would be happy. And her few belongings to start with made it easier for her to do whatever she wanted. When the train pulled into Canterlot station, Octavia felt almost claustrophobic. The grey skies felt like they were coming closer to push her in amongst the crowded buildings. There were so many ponies on the streets she felt crowded in with the rest of them, pushing and shoving her way through to her apartment. Lights shone out of buildings and flickered on and off. It reminded her of… Octavia shook her head and shook away the panic she was feeling and headed to the apartment. It was nearly five o’clock and she began to wonder what she wanted for dinner; if she wanted to go out to eat or if she wanted to cook something at home. Octavia opened the door and heard nothing. For a moment, she wondered if Vinyl had already left for her gig despite the early hour. She was almost going to breathe a sigh of relief until she found Vinyl in the kitchen reading something. It took a moment for her to realize Vinyl was reading the insert. “I thought you left,” Octavia said. “It’s quiet in here.” “Yeah,” Vinyl said almost unemotionally. “Nearly drove myself mad with it.” Despite knowing the answer, Octavia acted as though she didn’t see. “What are you looking at?” “The houses for rent.” Vinyl got up from the couch and looked at Octavia. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Octavia nodded. “I’ve applied for financing on one of them. One bedroom, one bathroom. Papers will be coming in later this week for me to sign.” “And your job? Are you going to have to quit the symphony?” “I can commute. Train to Canterlot only takes forty-five minutes or so. Things will be alright.” Vinyl nodded. “I suppose…” She sighed. “Tavi, I still love you. I still want to make this work. But… I was thinking about our arguments over the last few weeks.” “And what did you come up with?” “…you were right. You were always right. From day one, when you were nervous about trying to start something because it might not work out. And so, for now, it hasn’t.” “Wait. You said ‘for now’. Why’s that?” “I want to try again someday. But… I understand. You want to get away. And, given our attitudes, it’s probably the best.” Octavia nodded. “We still have a month or so before I move in. I’ll pay my rent and try to be more even-tempered until then.” Vinyl nodded. “I’m going to talk with Trance Rhythm and see if he needs a place. We’ll arrange something for him to move in when you’re gone.” Octavia raised an eyebrow and looked at Vinyl suspiciously. “Why are you making this easy? I would have expected us to have an argument about it.” “Well, I do still love you.” There was a tenderness in Vinyl’s eyes that hadn’t been there in months, and Octavia knew she meant it. “It won’t be easy. But… it’s something we actually agree on. I don’t think we’ve had something like that happen for a while.” Octavia suddenly felt bad. She started to say something, but choked on the words and had to cough to clear her throat. “Yeah. It is, isn’t it? Well… I admit I had some fun. It just isn’t for me.” Vinyl ended up with a small smile. “It’s okay, Tavi. I guess your fun just isn’t for me, either.” Octavia sighed and sniffed. She left Vinyl in the living room and went to take a shower. This next month would be filled with papers to sign from the realtor and the bank. Hopefully, the last month wouldn’t be hell before things finally settled down.